This week’s federal policy update covers major developments in voting rights, immigration enforcement, free speech, and environmental regulations. Together, they carry significant consequences for communities navigating shifting federal policies.
By way of update: After negotiations over new guardrails on immigration enforcement collapsed, Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, leaving the agency on track for a partial shutdown when funding expires. The vote in the U.S. Senate fell short of the 60 needed to advance the measure, and many lawmakers have left Washington without a deal. Because the rest of the federal government is already funded, any shutdown would be limited to DHS. However, key immigration enforcement functions, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection operations, are expected to continue under prior funding enacted last summer.
Meanwhile, the Senate has not taken up a vote on Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, leaving millions of families at risk of higher health insurance costs. That makes your voice especially important. Contact your Senators and remind them why protecting ACA tax credits matters. Click HERE to take action.
Federal Efforts to Influence State Voter Registration
U.S. House of Representatives Advances Bill Imposing New Barriers to Federal Voter Registration: The Save America Act would limit the ways individuals registering to vote in federal elections can prove U.S. citizenship, requiring documents such as a passport or birth certificate, along with government-issued photo identification. It would also impose new limits on certain mail-in voting procedures.
Only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections, and current law already requires registrants to attest to citizenship under penalty of perjury. Documented cases of noncitizen voting are rare, with only a handful of instances documented out of tens of millions of votes each year. The legislation would add a nationwide documentation requirement and expand federal control over voter registration standards. If enacted, the legislation could lead to millions of eligible voters being removed from state registration rolls, particularly individuals who do not possess a passport or birth certificate. It could also disenfranchise millions of women whose legal names differ from the names on their original citizenship documents due to marriage or other name changes. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate, where 60 votes would be required to advance it unless filibuster rules are suspended.
States Divided as DOJ Seeks Expanded Access to Voter Registration Data: The U.S. Department of Justice has been pressing states to turn over voter registration data and other election records, filing lawsuits against at least 23 states and the District of Columbia to obtain voter rolls. In Michigan, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by DOJ seeking to compel the state to provide full, unredacted voter registration data, including sensitive personal information. The court ruled that the federal laws cited by DOJ do not require Michigan to disclose confidential voter data beyond what state law allows. By contrast, the Nebraska state supreme court allowed Nebraska’s secretary of state to share all the data from the state’s voter rolls with the Federal Government after the voting rights group sought to block the transfer. Providing sensitive information on every registered voter to federal authorities gives the Federal Government more power to potentially interfere with and politicize the administration of elections and purge voters from rolls.
Immigration Enforcement and Immigrant Protections
Court Ruling Denies Bond to Immigrants, Puts Millions at Risk: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy to deny bond hearings to immigrants arrested in the U.S., including people who have lived and worked here for years with no criminal record. Under this ruling, DHS can detain individuals indefinitely while their immigration cases proceed, even if they pose no flight risk or danger and are only accused of a civil infraction. The panel’s decision, which only applies to Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi, can still be appealed to the full Fifth Circuit, but until that review occurs, it remains in effect.
If eventually applied broadly and nationwide, the ruling could affect a population numbering in the millions. Courts elsewhere have repeatedly ordered bond hearings or release in similar cases, creating conflicting rules nationwide. Without access to bond, many immigrants could face prolonged confinement in overcrowded and unsafe facilities, with little clarity on if or when they might be released. The case may ultimately reach the U.S. Supreme Court, with major implications for civil liberties, due process, and the treatment of people in immigration detention.
Federal Judge Rules on California Law Limiting ICE Mask Use and Requiring Identification: A federal court in Los Angeles blocked part of California’s No Secret Police Act, which would have prohibited federal immigration agents, including ICE officers, from wearing masks during enforcement operations. The court said the mask restriction likely violates the Constitution because it singles out federal officers while exempting state and local law enforcement. At the same time, the court allowed another part of the law to take effect. That part requires all officers to clearly display identification, including agency affiliation and badge number, during enforcement actions. The case is one of the first tests of states’ ability to regulate federal immigration enforcement. Other states have passed or are considering similar laws, making this ruling an important precedent.
ICE Operation in Minnesota Ending After Mass Arrests and Fatal Shootings: Federal officials announced on February 12 that the large-scale ICE enforcement operation in Minnesota is ending after more than ten weeks. The operation led to over 4,000 arrests in neighborhoods, workplaces, and public spaces. Somali Minnesotans and other immigrant communities were disproportionately affected. Federal rhetoric tied to national origin shaped the operation. During the enforcement, federal agents fatally shot two residents who were nonviolently protesting and observing the activities. About 2,000 federal agents remain in the state as withdrawals continue.
Separately, the administration finished withdrawing federally deployed National Guard troops from Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland after legal challenges and objections from local officials. Troops remain deployed elsewhere under different authorities, including 2,500 in Washington, D.C. The end of the Minnesota operation reduces the immediate federal presence but does not erase its effects. Legal disputes continue, and community leaders report ongoing social and economic strain. The Guard withdrawals show the limits of domestic federal deployments while leaving the option for future action.
Administration Ends Yemen’s TPS, Ninth Circuit Allows Other Terminations to Proceed: The Department of Homeland Security announced on February 13 that it will terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Yemeni nationals, a humanitarian program that had allowed more than 1,300 Yemenis to live and work lawfully in the U.S. because of unsafe conditions in their home country. Unless a court blocks the termination or individuals adjust their immigration status if eligible, they will be subject to deportation. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said the agency concluded that Yemen no longer meets the statutory requirements for TPS, and the termination will take effect 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register.
Separately, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit temporarily lifted a lower‑court order that had blocked planned TPS terminations for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, which a judge had found were influenced by racial bias. The ruling allows DHS to resume the termination process for those countries while the lawsuit continues, affecting more than 60,000 people. TPS holders face renewed risk of losing work authorization and deportation protection, and restarting the process can create immediate instability for families and employers.
Government Actions Targeting Political Speech
Grand Jury Rejects Case Targeting Congress Members’ Speech: A grand jury declined on February 10 to indict six Democratic members of Congress over a video released last fall reminding active-duty military and intelligence personnel to refuse unlawful orders. Federal prosecutors in Washington had sought the charges, an unprecedented move against sitting lawmakers. Grand juries rarely reject such high-profile indictments, making the decision especially notable.
The investigation followed public criticism from President Trump, who called the lawmakers’ message improper and demanded accountability. The effort raises serious concerns about expanded executive influence over the Justice Department and the FBI and the potential chilling effect on political speech. The lawmakers involved include Sens. Mark Kelly and Elissa Slotkin and Reps. Jason Crow, Chrissy Houlahan, Chris Deluzio, and Maggie Goodlander,
Ongoing Efforts Targeting Palestine Advocacy Speech: An immigration judge terminated the government’s deportation case against Rümeysa Öztürk on January 29, 2026, finding that DHS failed to establish a legal basis for her removal. Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, was detained for 45 days after her student visa was revoked following her co-authorship of a campus opinion piece criticizing the university’s response to Palestine and calling for divestment. The judge found that her detention was based on protected political speech. Öztürk continues to challenge the cancellation of her student record, which disrupted her studies and work.
Meanwhile, Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian detained since March 2025 for participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations at Columbia University, was hospitalized this week after a seizure in Texas. DHS withheld her location and medical condition from her family. She has returned to detention despite two court orders requiring her release on bond. Authorities have blocked these orders through appeals. Kordia has reported being held in harsh conditions, including being shackled in the hospital. You can read her own account here.
These cases show the government using immigration enforcement to punish political expression that create fear and a chilling effect for noncitizens and citizens, especially for those from Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and other historically targeted groups.
EPA Reverses Health Endangerment Finding for Greenhouse Gas
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is reversing its 2009 endangerment finding, which concluded that greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide threaten public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act and has served as the legal basis for federal climate regulations for more than a decade. By reconsidering the scientific and legal foundation of that determination, the agency eliminates its authority to regulate emissions from vehicles, power plants, and other major sources of pollution. The move is expected to face legal challenges from environmental groups and states and could significantly reshape the Federal Government’s role in addressing climate change, with potential consequences for communities already disproportionately burdened by air pollution.